


Always You Four (Year One)

by FlannelGuy51



Series: Always You Four [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 1970's, Angst, Bullying, Child Abuse, Euphemia and Fleamont love Sirius, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Halloween, Lily and James die in prologue, M/M, Marauders era, Minerva McGonagall looks after the Marauders, Nightmares, Physical Abuse, Pranks, Quidditch, SO MUCH FLUFF, Scars, Sorting Ceremony, Verbal Abuse, Werewolf Remus Lupin, Year One, abused sirius, first year, so much sad, whomping willow - Freeform, year 1
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-02-02 21:31:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12734697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlannelGuy51/pseuds/FlannelGuy51
Summary: Sirius had never expected to be in Gryffindor. Sirius had never expected to have such interesting friends. Sirius didn't know that he had never known what a family felt like. And he never expected to like Muggle music. The Marauders become a family, and a chaotic one at that. The first year of the Marauders' Era of Hogwarts.





	1. Avada Kedavra/Prologue

It had been such a lovely day for the Potters. James had brought Lily breakfast in bed, complete with fresh squeezed orange juice. Harry hadn't cried when he went down for his nap; he'd fallen asleep almost immediately. The couple had picnicked in their own living room, remembering the year that Sirius had tried celebrating Halloween in a Muggle village. Lily had made James’s favorite dinner in return for his beautiful morning meal. That night, the black-haired man sat with Harry in his lap, waving his wand all about.

“Do you like that, Harry?” James asked as he shot a blue puff of smoke from his wand.

Harry giggled, making James smile.

James waved his wand again and this time, red and yellow spurted out of the wand. “That's for Gryffindor, Harry. That's where I met your Mum.”

Harry waved his hands in the smoke, still laughing. Once more, James waved his wand and a beautiful shade of green smoke came out.

“Time for bed, boys.”

James turned to see his wife, with her dark red hair falling past her shoulders and her green eyes to match the smoke James had created. He smiled, picking up Harry and walking to Lily.

“I love you, Potter,” Lily said with a smile.

They kissed briefly, and Harry made a funny gurgling noise. “Goodnight, little guy,” James cooed. “I love you.”

Harry laughed again before being passed off to Lily.

James threw his wand onto the sofa before stretching and yawning. “‘Night, Lils.”

The redhead began to ascend the stairs, but before James could follow, he heard the door burst open. Heart hammering, James ran into the hall, coming face-to-face with the one he most feared. His mind briefly touched upon his forgotten wand, but that didn't matter now. Lily and Harry didn't need a fighter; they needed a distraction.

“Lily, take Harry and go!” James shouted. “It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!” James threw up his fists, knowing that he would have no time to use them. He kept his eyes open, daring to look Lord Voldemort in the face. James Potter had dreamed of growing old with Lily, meeting his grandkids, and dying happy. Before the green light struck him, he thought of what he had fought for. _Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore, Minnie McGonagall, Lily. Harry._

_"Avada Kedavra!”_

 

Lily heard a hard _thump_ and screamed in terror. _No,_ she thought, _James is okay. James has to be okay. Maybe the curse missed and I just heard him ducking to the ground._ Lily ran to Harry’s bedroom door and shut it, pushing a chair up against the knob and throwing boxes in the path to Harry’s crib. She held her boy tight to her chest, running a hand through his messy hair. _Just like James’s…_

The door blasted open and she saw a wand wave through the air. The chair and boxes clattered towards her, useless. She looked into the white, snake-like face and set Harry in his crib. She spread her arms out, ready to make any sacrifice for her son.

“Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!” Lily cried.

“Stand aside, you silly girl…” Voldemort hissed. “Stand aside, now.”

“Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead—”

“This is my last warning—”

“Not Harry!” Lily screamed, her chest tightening and tears falling down her face. “Please...have mercy...have mercy...Not Harry! Not Harry! Please—I'll do anything—”

“Stand aside. Stand aside, girl!”

Lily Potter thought of Harry as a green light reached her eyes, and she could only hope that Sirius would protect her son once she was gone...


	2. The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for child abuse.

**1971**

Sirius Black quite enjoyed the solitude he found in his room. The top floor was separated from the rest of the house in such a way that it was quite often silent and peaceful. His mother most certainly did not enjoy the trip up the stairs, so he hadn't been bothered all morning.

Uninterested in what the rest of his family might be doing, Sirius was drawing on a piece of spare parchment he’d pulled from his desk. He’d finished his father the day before, and now worked at embellishing his mother’s intricately curled hair. Sirius hoped to finish her by noon so he could begin sketching the part he wanted to draw most: his brother, Regulus, and himself. He'd already decided that Kreacher wasn't worth the effort, and therefore wasn't drawing him at all.

Just as he'd dipped his quill into his ink bottle to begin his mother’s dress, a screech broke the silence.

“SIRIUS!”

The boy immediately recognized the voice of his mother. He hopped off the bed, set his drawing tools back on the desk, and headed for the door. Before he even touched the handle, though, Sirius looked back at the piece of parchment. He smiled as he ran his eyes over the detailed faces he had created with his own hands. _Perhaps Mother and Father will like this one._ Sirius’s parents generally didn't approve of his talent; they called it a ‘waste of time’ and a ‘ridiculous practice.’ _But this isn't just a doodle,_ Sirius reasoned, _it’s a family portrait. They'll have to like this._

Sirius quickly picked up his artwork and opened the door. After slamming it shut behind him, he hopped down the stairs as fast as he could, leaping onto each landing with a resounding _crash._ In under a minute, Sirius had reached the kitchen with a spring in his step. Before he could even open his mouth, his pride had disappeared and had been replaced by worry.

Mr. and Mrs. Black and Regulus sat around the table, each looking at what Sirius’s mother held in her hands. It was a beige envelope with a red wax seal. As Sirius stepped closer, he could make out a crest with four animals on it: a lion, a serpent, a badger, and an eagle. Together, they made the crest of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Sirius, of course, knew all of this already; his parents had been instructing him about school for as long as he could remember. It was for that reason that he was nervous.

“Why don't you open it, Sirius?” Mrs. Black asked.

Sirius pulled the letter from his mother’s grasp and pulled it open. Two papers slid out. He cleared his throat and began to read the first out loud.

“‘Dear Mr. Black, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress.’” Sirius looked up from the letter with his insides churning. He faked a grin. “Good thing I'm not a Squib, right, Mum?”

Mrs. Black didn't smile. “Hand me the list, Sirius.”

Sirius did as he was told and watched as his mother and father scanned the list.

“We’ll have to plan a day to take Sirius to get his things, of course,” said Mr. Black to his wife.

“Yes,” replied Mrs. Black. “I'll send an owl to Druella and Cygnus.”

Sirius couldn't suppress his groan of irritation. The simple thought of spending an entire day with his cousins made him feel sick. His mother promptly glared and slapped him. Sirius did manage to hold in his whimper of pain and quickly apologized. Mrs. Black nodded curtly and looked back at the list.

“ _The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts,_ ” Mr. Black said disapprovingly. “Just the kind of thing that Albus Dumbledore would assign.” He said the name with contempt, as if it was diseased.

Sirius readied himself for a rant about blood-traitors and Mudblood-lovers; they were heard on a daily basis in Number 12 Grimmauld Place. But no rant came. As Mrs. Black reached to pick up the welcome letter Sirius had placed on the table, her hand brushed the piece of parchment he had been drawing on. Abandoning what she had set out to do, she picked it up and examined it.

“What is this?” Mrs. Black asked.

Sirius glanced at what she was holding and beamed, pride returning to him. “It's you and Father!”

Mrs. Black looked from the parchment to her eldest son and back again.

Anticipation rose in Sirius as he asked, “Do you like it?”

Mrs. Black looked at Sirius and scowled. “This is rubbish! Why do you waste your time on these _Muggle_ hobbies?! It's so _pathetic_ that you can't do anything better! Look at Regulus! He's studying the book we got him for his birthday like a good son. Why can't _you_ be a good son, Sirius? You're such a disappointment!”

Tears welled in Sirius’s eyes and he looked to his brother for help. Regulus didn't look up from his book. He didn't notice that his mother had closed in until she slapped him again. He yelped at the feeling of her wedding ring hitting his bare flesh.

“I'm sorry,” Sirius said. “I'll try harder.”

“That's what you always say, and you've never changed!” Mrs. Black screamed. She crumpled up the parchment and threw it into the bin, then stormed out of the kitchen, followed by her husband.

Sirius was crying freely now, hardly holding in his sobs. _Why are you such a bad son?_ Sirius asked himself. _You never please them, you just make them upset._ Sirius hadn't noticed that his brother had stood up. Regulus walked to the bin and paused, then made his way to his brother.

“I don't think it was a waste of time.”

Sirius looked up. Regulus had retrieved the drawing and smoothed it out.

“I love it, Siri.”

Relief washed over the older brother. Sirius smiled, stood, and hugged Regulus.

“Thank you, Reg,” Sirius said. _That means the world to me._

Once Regulus had returned to his seat, Sirius raced up the stairs to continue work on his drawing.

The following fortnight before he was to meet his cousins passed too quickly for Sirius. He had finished his drawing and taped it up onto his wall, but hadn't shown it to either of his parents again. Sirius had invited Regulus to come and look at it, and the younger brother had once again complimented Sirius’s art skills.

“Would you like to borrow my book?” Regulus had asked that night. The cover read, _Understanding the Dark Arts._

_You should say ‘yes’,_ Sirius’s brain had said. However, his heart offered up a different answer. “No thanks, Reg.”

Regulus had looked at his brother for a moment, a confused expression gracing his face. “But it would please Mother and Father.”

“Goodnight, Regulus,” Sirius said.

Sirius and Regulus had “dueled” each other in the yard with sticks they had found over the next few days, and Sirius had tried his best to please his mother and father. The usual rants were heard, and Sirius kept his mouth shut.

Sirius awoke one morning to find his black suit laid out upon his dresser. He sighed. It was the day his mother had set for him to meet his cousins in Diagon Alley. Whenever the Blacks traveled together, Sirius and Regulus were expected to wear their best clothes. After all, the Blacks had a reputation to uphold.

Begrudgingly, Sirius put on his suit and slipped down the stairs. Everyone else was already awake and all of them stared as he came in. Sirius noticed that Regulus was also wearing his suit and turned to his father.

“Is Regulus coming, too?” Sirius asked.

“Yes, and I expect you to keep an eye on him,” Mr. Black replied.

“Yes, sir,” Sirius said. _At least I'll have Reg for company._

It was noon before Sirius knew it. He clutched his mother's arm and took a deep breath before they Apparated. Sirius winced at the crushing darkness and inhaled deeply once it was gone.

Bright colors and loud voices filled Diagon Alley. The sun shone brilliantly from the clear blue sky, and Sirius took in his surroundings with a grin. His smile only faltered when his eyes reached his cousins.

Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Andromeda were all wearing their regular long black dresses. His Uncle Cygnus and Aunt Druella stood behind them. Cygnus was a handsome man with long black hair and a thin nose. His wife, Druella, was quite the opposite, being short, stout, and blonde. Sirius wasn't particularly fond of either of them, but smiled politely all the same.

Walburga, Orion, Druella, and Cygnus separated from their children and stalked off in another direction, leaving Sirius, Regulus, and their cousins.

“Hey, Siri,” said Bellatrix with a fake smile. “I hear you're going off to Hogwarts.”

“We wouldn't be here otherwise, would we?” Sirius said, irritated.

“Sirius…” Regulus said quietly.

“You've always had an attitude, haven't you?” Bellatrix questioned. “I'm sure your Mummy and Daddy love that.”

Sirius took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself, and subconsciously rubbed his cheek. Bellatrix cackled. Sirius pulled the list of things he needed from his breast pocket and examined it. “Where do you want to go first?”

“How about Flourish and Blotts?” Narcissa suggested.

Regulus nodded his agreement.

Bellatrix lead the way, dress flowing behind her. Narcissa was by her side, Regulus in their wake. Sirius took up the rear, along with his favorite cousin, Andromeda.

“Hello, Sirius,” Andromeda said. “Are you excited for school?”

Sirius shrugged, feigning nonchalance. He was happy to be getting away from his parents’ constant shouting, but what came with going to school was something he dreaded. “Is it fun?”

“Oh, yes,” said Andromeda. “You get to meet lots of witches and wizards your age. You share classes with all the different houses. That's how I met—” Andromeda stopped talking abruptly and looked at Sirius as if he had sprouted a second head.

“How you met who?” Sirius questioned. “Come on, ‘Dromeda, you can tell me.”

“Please pretend I never said anything, Sirius,” Andromeda said quickly. “I don't want any trouble. Do you promise me?”

Sirius recognized the expression on his cousin’s face. It was the same one he saw in the mirror after he'd told his parents something he shouldn't have. It looked the way he'd felt when he'd told his mother he'd wandered off to a Muggle park one afternoon. Sirius didn't have to think any more to respond. “I promise.”

Andromeda looked as if a giant weight had been taken off her shoulders. “Thank you, Sirius. It means a lot to me.”

Sirius grinned. “No problem.”

The Blacks reached Flourish and Blotts not long after this conversation. As soon as Bellatrix threw open the door, Sirius saw countless eyes shift in their direction. People moved out of the way as fast as they could, clearly terrified to get on the wrong side of the Blacks. Sirius grimaced as the shopkeeper practically sprinted to his eldest cousin’s side, eager to please and assist her in any way possible.

_People will never look at me that way,_ Sirius promised himself.

Sirius looked at the signs upon the bookshelves until he saw one that read, _Hogwarts Course Books._ Sirius consulted his list of required texts before pulling the ones he needed from the shelf. He paused to watch Regulus walk past him to the Darker section of reading. Sirius frowned.

After Andromeda, Narcissa, and Sirius had purchased the books they wanted, they exited the shop. Sirius could still hear the manager wishing them a “lovely day” and a “good school year”. The group proceeded to stop at Madam Malkin’s, Potage’s Cauldron Shop, the Apothecary, and Eeylops Owl Emporium.

Sirius had spotted a black owl with bright orange eyes and asked to purchase it immediately.

“What are you going to name it, Sirius?” Andromeda asked as Bellatrix stuck out her hand to pet it. The owl bit her and she shrieked. Sirius laughed, earning a smack to the head.

“Ashfere,” Sirius replied with a smirk.

By 2:00, they were almost finished. Sirius had been putting off the remaining stop the whole time for fear of his cousins’ possible jeering or shunning. Before he could regret it, though, he tapped Andromeda’s shoulder.

“What's up, Siri?”

“Do you think you could...I don't know...” Sirius hesitated, pulled out his list, and pointed at the shop in question. “...Give me a chance to have some privacy?”

Andromeda gave him a quick nod and turned to her younger cousin. “Regulus, are you up for getting some ice cream?”

As the Blacks debated, Sirius walked off towards Ollivanders. He briefly noticed the dusty windows and creaky door as he stepped inside. Only when the bell rung to alert Ollivander of his presence did Sirius realize he was not the only customer in the shop.

A boy about his age was standing next to a man who could've been his grandfather. The child had messy black hair, round glasses, and a cocky smile. He had turned to look at Sirius. Sirius couldn't help but smile back at him, for his body seemed to emanate with confidence and happiness. Sirius sat down in a chair by the door.

“Try this one, son,” said Ollivander, a man with silvery eyes.

The boy turned back to the shopkeeper and picked the wand up, but it was snatched from his hands almost instantly.

Ollivander sighed, grabbed a stool, and reached to the top shelf. He handed the boy another wand and everyone watched as it emitted golden sparks.

“Bravo!” Ollivander shouted, clapping his hands together. “Eleven inches; mahogany; and a core of Demiguise hair, best for Transfiguration. I believe you will find this wand best suited to you, Mr. Potter.”

“Thank you, Mr. Ollivander,” said the man that Sirius had presumed to be the boy’s grandfather. “Come on, James. We still need to get your robes.”

“Can we stop at Quality Quidditch Supplies?” the boy, apparently James, asked. “Please, Dad?”

James’s father chuckled and ruffled his son’s hair, making Sirius’s heart ache. “We’ll see.”

The bell rung again, and the Potters left the shop. Sirius was so busy racking his brain for happy memories he had shared with his father that he'd forgotten where he was.

“Hello, young man,” Ollivander said.

Sirius jerked out of his mind and turned to face the shop owner. He jumped out of his chair and walked to the counter. “Hello, sir.”

“You are Sirius Black, if I am not mistaken.”

Sirius nodded hesitantly.

“Let’s see then…” Ollivander grabbed a seemingly random box from the shelf and gave the wand to Sirius.

Before he could lift it, Ollivander took it away.

“No...no...hmm…” Ollivander grabbed another wand and thrust it into Sirius’s hands.

Again, he grabbed it back.

“Let’s try...oak, twelve inches, with a dragon heartstring core,” Ollivander said.

Sirius took it, waved it, and had it taken from him.

“Well...perhaps…” Ollivander paused and turned to look at Sirius.

Sirius felt anxiety building in him as the man’s silver eyes bore into his. Rather than looking away, however, he stood his ground and stared right back. Ollivander turned to the wall, grabbed another wand, and dropped it into the boy’s hands.

Sirius held this one and felt a sudden warmth in his hands. He waved the wand, and red and gold sparks shot from its tip.

“Aha!” said Ollivander, a smile gracing his face. “Fourteen inches; chestnut; and a core of unicorn hair, only for the pure of heart. Most different than your relatives’ wands, if I may say so.”

“Thank you, sir!” Sirius said, bouncing with joy. “I'll use it well, sir.”

“I most certainly hope so,” Ollivander replied, and after sliding payment across the desk, Sirius ran out into the sunlight, ecstatic to have been designated “pure of heart.”


	3. The Hogwarts Express

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'll try to update as frequently as I can.

Sirius was careful not to provoke a conversation about his wand in the weeks leading up to his trip to Hogwarts. He mostly kept to himself and only spoke when questioned. He and Regulus continued their “duels” in the yard each day, both promising to hex the other. Sirius now much preferred his real wand with its intricate carvings and the warmth it brought to him. He waved it every so often, making sure not to cast any real spells.

At last, the day he was due on the Hogwarts Express arrived. Sirius had his things packed by 9:00 o’clock. He'd also placed a knapsack on his desk that was filled with things he wanted to use during his train ride. In it were several pieces of parchment, a quill, an ink bottle, and an old book about Quidditch that his Uncle Alphard had given him when he was seven. Again, the black suit was laid out on his bed, so he put it on and hurried down the stairs for breakfast.

Sirius walked in to find Kreacher setting several plates of food on the table.

“Good morning, Master Sirius,” the elf croaked. “Off to Hogwarts?”

“Yes,” Sirius replied, sitting down.

Kreacher muttered something along the lines of “good riddance” and hobbled back to his room. Sirius happily ate his food, having been denied dinner the previous night for not asking to borrow Regulus’s book. Before bed, Regulus had come to say “I told you so”, earning a book thrown at his head. The younger brother’s laugh had helped ease Sirius to sleep.

Sirius kept quiet throughout the meal, listening to his parents discuss matters of the Dark Arts and why Hogwarts was starting to slip.

Just as he had finished and was about to leave, his father addressed him.

“You do remember what we've told you, don't you, Sirius?” Mr. Black asked. “You know which House to get into?”

“Yes, of course,” Sirius replied. “You want me in Hufflepuff, right, Mum?” Sirius cracked a smile. No one else did. Sirius scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat. “Slytherin.”

“And make sure to stay away from any of those Mudbloods. The blood-traitors, too. They're just as bad, Sirius. We expect a letter home after the Sorting ceremony.”

Sirius nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Get your things ready, then.”

Sirius rushed back up the stairs, heart pounding. Slytherin, he thought. All of his cousins were Slytherins. _I can't be like Bellatrix and Narcissa, he thought anxiously. But then, what will Mother and Father say if I'm not?_

Sirius sighed and began to stroke Ashfere. The bird bit him at first, but eventually relaxed into the movement of his master’s hand. Sirius closed his eyes and tried to think of nothing.

At 10:30, his mother’s voice broke the peaceful silence. Sirius threw the knapsack over his shoulder, grabbed the handle of his trunk, and exited his room. Kreacher came along shortly after this and levitated the boy’s luggage down the stairs.

“Thank you, Kreacher,” Regulus said.

Mr. Black then grabbed Sirius’s hand, Mrs. Black taking Regulus’s, and together, the family departed for King’s Cross Station.

It was so busy that morning that no one even noticed their arrival. Sirius knew how to get to the platform, as he had learned when he was just six years old. He grabbed his brother’s hand and raced towards one of the columns. His heart was racing, and they were about to crash—

The duo appeared on the other side, where the Hogwarts Express was pumping steam into the air. Regulus looked around and laughed, and Sirius did so as well. Wizards and witches young and old were standing all around them. Sirius spotted his cousins in the distance and looked away.

A hand clapped down on his shoulder. Startled, he turned around, but found that it was just his father.

“Remember what we told you,” Mr. Black said.

Sirius nodded. “I love you,” he said with a smile.

Mrs. Black crouched down and grabbed his chin roughly, tilting his head so he met her eyes. “Don't disappoint us.”

She let go and Mr. and Mrs. Black began to walk towards their relatives.

“Come on, Regulus,” Mrs. Black said.

“Alright,” Regulus replied. He embraced his brother tightly, closing his eyes. “I'll miss you, Siri.”

Sirius could feel his heartstrings being pulled, but made himself chuckle. “You won't even know I'm gone.” The elder Black ruffled his brother’s hair, and then Regulus was gone, running to catch up with the parents that loved him so.

Sirius began to pull his cart toward one of the entrances to the train. _Don't consort with Mudbloods or blood-traitors,_ he thought. _You need to make Mother and Father happy._ Sirius thought of the pure-blood families he knew and started to pull up images of his cousins and their boyfriends. Lucius made his insides squirm, and he had only met Rodolphus once.

As he continued to brainstorm, he bumped into someone. The loud clatter of clashing carts shocked him out of thoughts and snapped him to attention. “Sorry,” Sirius said quickly, picking the other person’s things. When he looked up to give them to him, he was met with a familiar face. It was the boy from Ollivanders with the messy hair.

“Well, watch where you're going next time,” James said. “You look familiar. Have I seen you somewhere before?”

“Yeah,” Sirius said. “I saw you in Diagon Alley. You were talking about Quidditch.”

“Right!” James said. “Oh, look, here's a free compartment.”

Without any further question, Sirius was sitting down with a boy he'd known for only a few seconds. He was relieved that James hadn't asked for his name, for he surely wouldn't have wanted to talk if he had known. The Blacks were not liked by many.

James started talking about Quidditch and his favorite teams and plays. Sirius nodded and conversed, glad to have something to distract him from his worries. James and Sirius talked for about an hour, never once venturing to the subject of names or Hogwarts.

Eventually, the candy trolley came. Happy to be free of his parents’ reign, Sirius loaded up on sweet treats. Before he could offer to buy some for his new friend, James extracted a large handful of money and bought twice as much as Sirius had.

“Want some?” James asked once the woman had gone. “I can see you watching it.”

“No, no,” Sirius replied, opening one of his Chocolate Frogs.

“My dad’s the inventor of Sleakeazy’s Hair Potion,” James explained. “He got real successful because of it and had more than enough money for him and my mum to retire. They had me pretty late in life, but we’re still really well off.” James paused. “What about your parents?”

“Uh…” _Don't say anything!_ Sirius thought to himself frantically. _He’ll hate you once he finds out who you are._ “I'm going to change into my robes.”

Sirius stood, pulled his robes from his trunk, and hurried out of the compartment. He stalled a little in the bathroom, fixing his hair and running the tap for a while. Once the maximum amount of time had passed before his absence could be called suspicious, he headed back to where he knew James would be.

Sirius took a deep breath, readying himself for further questioning, when he noticed a redhead girl sitting in a seat diagonal from James by the window. He placed a confident smirk on his face and re-entered the compartment.

“Took you long enough,” James said.

Sirius took his seat across from James and got his first good look at the girl. She had long flowing red hair and bright green eyes. While most students were pleased to be headed to the school, he saw tear tracks on her face. Sirius frowned and leaned back in his chair, trying to ignore her.

“Why won't you talk to me?” James asked her.

The girl didn't respond.

James ruffled his hair and turned back to Sirius. “Wanna hear a great Quidditch story?”

James began to tell Sirius about his first real broomstick ride. He had flown all the way to a Muggle farm and landed in the pig pen. Just when he was about to explain how he had escaped, the compartment door slid open.

A boy their age stepped inside and sat down across from the red-haired girl. He had shoulder-length, greasy black hair and deep brown eyes. The girl looked at him and then away again.

“I don't want to talk to you,” she said in a constricted voice.

“Why not?” the boy asked.

“Tuney h-hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore.”

“So what?”

She threw him a look of greatest contempt.

“So she's my sister!”

“She's only a—” the boy caught himself.

Sirius thought he knew what the end of that sentence was. The girl hadn't even noticed.

“But we’re going!” he said with a clear tone of excitement. “This is it! We’re off to Hogwarts!”

She nodded and started to smile.

“You'd better be in Slytherin,” said the boy.

“Slytherin?” the girl repeated.

“Who wants to be in Slytherin?” James said suddenly. “I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?”

Sirius recognized with a start that James was talking to him.

“My whole family have been in Slytherin,” Sirius said quietly.

“Blimey,” said James, “and I thought you were alright!”

Sirius grinned in spite of himself. He accepts me as my own person. “Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?”

James lifted an invisible sword.

“‘Gryffindor, where dwell the brave of heart!’ Like my dad.”

_Gryffindor,_ Sirius thought. _James is getting into Gryffindor._

The greasy-haired boy suddenly made a small, disparaging noise, and James turned on him.

“Got a problem with that?” James questioned.

“No,” the boy replied, a sneer on his face. “If you'd rather be brawny than brainy—”

Anger rose in Sirius’s chest. “Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?”

James roared with laughter, clutching his stomach. Lily stood up, rather flushed, and looked from James to Sirius in dislike.

“Come on, Severus, let’s find another compartment.”

“Oooooo…” James and Sirius imitated, lifting their hands and waving them loftily.

As Severus walked past, James attempted to trip him.

“See ya, Snivellus!” Sirius called after them.

Once the door had closed, James laughed again, giving Sirius a thumbs-up.

“That was brilliant!” James exclaimed. “‘Seeing as you're neither…’ You're a genius! And Snivellus, where'd that come from?”

Sirius shrugged, a grin still plastered on his face. It had been an era since someone had laughed at his jokes. “It just came to me.”

James sighed, leaning back in his seat. “I think we're going to be good friends, Sirius.”

Sirius was snapped back to reality again, all thoughts of Severus and Lily wiped from his mind. “But I never said—”

“Black suit, rich, family of Slytherins…It wasn't a difficult leap.”

“And you don't care?”

“Just because your family’s rubbish, doesn't mean you are,” James replied.

“They're not rubbish,” Sirius said defensively.

James nodded, but Sirius could tell he hadn't changed his mind. _They're not rubbish, they're just...unaffectionate._

The Hogwarts Express went on, and James and Sirius continued to talk about everything they could think of. Sirius managed to avoid the topic of his family in case of further disagreements, but just so. By the time the train had come to a stop, James had his robes on and both boys were hungry again.

“Please leave your luggage on the train,” a voice echoed. “It will be taken to the school separately.”

James and Sirius pushed through the crowd on the train, finally stepping out onto a dark platform.

“Firs’ years with me!” a large man, much larger than any other Sirius had ever seen, was yelling. “Firs’ years! Right this way!”

James and Sirius were right on his heels. They walked down a steep, narrow path surrounded by darkness. The atmosphere buzzed with the excitement of the children.

“You'll see the school in just a sec…” the large man said.

The path opened to show the edge of a large black lake, glittering with the lights of the castle that rested on a high mountain beyond.

“Wow,” a boy said close to Sirius’s ear.

Sirius jumped a little at the noise, then turned to see who it was.

The boy seemed to be a little too thin and was wearing robes at least a size too big. Sirius could hardly make out his face in the darkness, just barely noticing a few scars littered here and there.

“No more’n four to a boat!” the large man called, referencing the fleet of small boats floating on the water in front of them. “Hurry along, now!”

Sirius stepped into the nearest boat to him, followed by James, the boy with the scars, and another boy with a chubby face.

“This is so exciting, isn't it?” the chubby boy said.

“Yeah,” James said.

“Well, I'm Peter,” the boy said, sticking out his hand. “Peter Pettigrew. And this is Remus.”

The thin boy, Remus, apparently, stuck out his hand to Sirius. “Nice to meet you.”

Sirius took it and shook in the gentlemanly way he had been taught. “I'm Sirius.”

“Like Sirius Black?” Peter asked.

“That's me,” Sirius said.

Peter straightened up a little and Sirius knew that this boy now had an expectation of what Sirius would be like. This was the thing Sirius hated most about his name: people thought they knew him before they'd even shared a conversation.

“And who are you?” Remus asked James, much to Sirius’s relief.

“James Potter, future Gryffindor!” James said triumphantly. “Where are you two hoping to go?”

“I don't really know,” Peter said. “What about you, Remus?”

“I'll probably end up in Ravenclaw,” Remus said irritably.

“Heads down!” the large man shouted.

The four boys ducked just in time as they reached a large cliff face. They went along a dark tunnel until they reached a kind of underground harbor. They hopped out onto the rocks and pebbles and followed the man up a passageway, coming out onto smooth, dewy grass. The first years walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

The man raised a large fist and knocked.


	4. The Sorting Ceremony

The door swung open at once, revealing a tall, black-haired witch wearing emerald green robes. She had a stern face, and Sirius couldn't help smiling out of spite.

“Here are the firs’ years, Professor McGonagall,” the man said.

“Thank you, Hagrid,” McGonagall replied.

Hagrid stomped on past them, waving goodbye.

Everyone followed McGonagall into the huge entrance hall. Many voices were coming from a room to their right, but they were lead to a small, empty chamber to the side.

“Welcome to Hogwarts,” said Professor McGonagall. “The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family in Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

“The four houses, for those of you who do not know, are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your victories will win you house points, while any rule-breaking will lose them. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will contribute positively to whichever house becomes yours.

“The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few moments in front of the rest of the school. I suggest that you all prepare yourselves while you are waiting.”

James ran his hands through his hair, making it messier than ever.

“I shall return shortly when we are ready for you,” said Professor McGonagall. “Please wait quietly.”

With that, she left them. Anxiety like he'd never felt rose in Sirius and he began to shift nervously from foot to foot.

 _What if I'm sorted into Slytherin?_ Sirius thought. _I'll never see my new friends, and I'll have to see Narcissa all the time, and surely I'll see Snivellus again. But then, what if I'm not? What will Mother and Father say?_ The memory of his mother's wedding ring striking his face flashed in his mind. He subconsciously touched his cheek.

“Are you alright?”

Sirius turned to see Remus looking at him, an expression of concern on his features.

“What?” Sirius said. “Oh.” He quickly put his hand by his side and smiled. “Never better. You?”

Remus shrugged. “I suppose I'm a little nervous.”

Sirius could tell that the boy was more than “a little nervous” but elected not to say anything. Sirius glanced over at James, who was talking to a black boy and once more waving his imaginary sword. He desperately wished he could be as confident as James.

There was a clicking of boots and Professor McGonagall had returned. “The ceremony is about to begin. Now, form a line and follow me, please.”

Sirius gulped and jumped behind James. They stepped out of the chamber and through a pair of double doors to the Great Hall.

Sirius completely forgot that he was about to be sorted when he went inside. The ceiling had been enchanted to match the sky outside and was glittering with stars. Thousands of candles floated in midair to light the room. Four long tables were laid in the room, where the rest of the students sat, as well as one more at the end of the hall for teachers. Professor McGonagall lead the first years in front of the teachers’ table and placed them in a line facing the rest of the school.

Professor McGongall placed a stool in front of them, and placed a worn and faded hat on top of it.

Sirius suddenly remembered what was about to happen and could feel his heart in his throat. He shifted nervously, playing with his hair and nervously glancing around.

Suddenly, the hat coughed and began to sing. Sirius was so nervous that he wasn't really paying attention to most of it, except when the hat got to the part about the houses.

 _“For Gryffindor, a lion,_  
They are very bold and brave,  
Though sometimes being reckless  
Can send you to your grave;  
For Hufflepuff, a badger,  
‘Cause they might seem very friendly,  
Turn your back on these fine folks  
And they can be quite deadly;  
For Ravenclaw, an eagle,  
At times they will be quiet,  
But when their brains do take a break  
They'll surely be a riot;  
For Slytherin, a serpent,  
They're cunning and ambitious  
But do not fret, do not forget  
Not all of them are vicious.”

The hall applauded when the hat finished. It bowed to the tables and became still once more. McGonagall stepped forward with a long roll of parchment.

“When I call your name, you will put on the hat, sit on the stool, and be sorted,” she said. “Aubrey, Bertram!”

A boy with sandy blonde hair stepped to the stool. Professor McGonagall set the hat, which was far too big, on his head, and they watched it slide over his eyes.

There was a short pause before the hat shouted, “RAVENCLAW!”

The Ravenclaws cheered as Bertram joined their ranks.

“Avery, Taurus!” said Professor McGonagall.

A gangly brunette boy came forward this time.

“SLYTHERIN!”

The Slytherin table cheered. Sirius spotted Narcissa and Andromeda welcoming Avery and wondered whether or not they would be welcoming him in a moment, too.

Ludovic Bagman became the first Hufflepuff, and Isolde Baker became a Ravenclaw. Sirius was hardly ready when—

“Black, Sirius!” McGonagall said.

Sirius couldn't make himself move. He found that he was frozen to the spot. Perhaps he would never be sorted. Maybe they would kick him out for taking so long. He would return home uneducated. _What will Mother and Father say? What if—_

“It'll be alright,” a voice whispered.

It was Remus. Somehow, the boy’s smile brought life back into Sirius. Feigning nonchalance, Sirius walked to the stool and sat down. A second passed before darkness engulfed him.

“Another Black,” a voice said in his ear. “Slytherin might work...it will cause quite a ruckus if I don't put you in that house..."

Sirius's heartbeat sped up. _Slytherin,_ he thought. His insides churned and he waited for the hat to say it out loud.

"But...I don't think it will be best for you. You're very loyal, but perhaps not entirely hardworking. Very clever, too. But...oh, what's this? Quite the rebel, I see. Very bold. Willing to do anything for those you love. Hmm...Quite the choice I must make.”

 _James,_ Sirius thought suddenly. _I want to be with James._

“Ah. Sacrifice for friendship. Yes, perhaps...

“GRYFFINDOR!” the hat shouted.

There was a brief silence when Sirius could see again. There was murmuring from every table. _Black is in_ Gryffindor. 

 _Gryffindor,_ Sirius thought. _I'm not in Slytherin._ Sirius felt his stomach drop, but also felt a small joy at being different. The final proof that he was as different from his family as he'd always felt.

It felt like hours had passed without noise, but Sirius knew it had only been a few seconds. At last, there was a cheer.

"Yeah!" James shouted. "He's a Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindor table exclaimed with pride at last, some people giving a standing ovation. There were some hisses from the Slytherins, which only made the Gryffindors louder.

Still, a hesitance grew in Sirius. With his emotions threatening to rip him apart, he risked a glance to the table full of green. Narcissa was scowling, but Andromeda was giving him a thumbs-up. _It'll be okay,_ Sirius thought. _Mother and Father will be happy wherever you are._ Sirius held his head high and marched toward his new house, showing the confident attitude that everyone was now expecting.

“Welcome to Gryffindor!” said a redhead boy. “I'm Fabian Prewett, Head Boy.”

“Sirius Black,” Sirius said, shaking the other boy’s hand. Then he turned back to the ceremony, watching to see who went where.

Amelia and Edgar Bones became a Ravenclaw and a Hufflepuff respectively. Dedalus Diggle, an overly-excited looking boy, also became a Hufflepuff.

“Evans, Lily!”

The redhead girl that had sat in their compartment sat down on the stool. Sirius looked for Snape in the crowd and found him before the hat shouted, “GRYFFINDOR!”

Snape looked properly surprised. His jaw dropped and his features went blank. Lily gave him a quick smile before running off to the Gryffindor table. Lily sat down on the other side of Fabian. While they exchanged pleasantries, Sirius made an over-dramatized smile and waved at Snape. Snape looked absolutely murderous.

Sirius saw Benjy Fenwick become a Ravenclaw, as well as several people after him. There were a few Hufflepuffs before—

“Lupin, Remus!” Professor McGonagall said.

Remus sat down on the stool looking anxious. He swung his feet for a few moments while the hat made its decision.

“GRYFFINDOR!”

As the hat was taken off his head, Sirius saw the boy’s wide smile. Remus came and sat down next to him.

“Looks like you're not a Ravenclaw after all,” Sirius said.

Remus nodded. “I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”

“Looking forward to it.”

Remus grinned, then turned back to the ceremony.

Mary MacDonald, Marlene McKinnon, and Dorcas Meadowes all became Gryffindors, and Jacob Mulciber and Ivy Penrose joined the Slytherin table.

“Pettigrew, Peter!”

Peter, looking anxious, sat down on the stool. The hat covered his entire head. While all of the other sortings had only taken about two minutes maximum, his took a lot longer.

After more than five minutes, the hat yelled, “GRYFFINDOR!”

Peter sat down next to Lily. “I guess I'm with you, Sirius.”

“Potter, James!”

James strided forward, a cocky smile on his face. The hat fell down and after a moment’s deliberation—

“GRYFFINDOR!”

“YES!” James shouted. James ran over to the Gryffindor table and high fived Fabian. “I told Snivellus I would do it!” James paused. “I see you're not one for tradition, are you, Sirius?”

“I guess not,” Sirius said with a smile.

Snape became a Slytherin, just as he had hoped. A few more children were sorted, ending with Stella Yoxall, before the hat was taken away.

Then, a tall man with a silver beard and a crooked nose stood upon a podium. He cleared his throat, and if by magic (though not by magic), the entire room fell silent. Sirius looked into the man’s eyes behind his half-moon spectacles, which twinkled even from a distance.

“Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, some of you for the first time. For those of you who are returning to us, welcome back. I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster.” Sirius remembered his father’s disapproving tone when speaking of Dumbledore and frowned. “I will simply remind you of a few things so that we may get on with dinner.

“Firstly, Mr. Filch has asked for me to say that there will be no use of magic in the corridors. After last year's incident with the zebras, I must say I can't blame him.

“And, of course, the Forbidden Forest is off limits. There are all forms of dangerous creatures inside, and it would be regrettable if one of you was seriously injured.

“Finally, I will make you aware that we have added a very special plant to our grounds. It is called a Whomping Willow. Now, this tree does not like company; that is to say that it is not a tree to lean against while you do your studies. It is a rather defensive creature, to make sure to keep your distance.

“Thank you for your attention. Without further ado, let us begin the feast.”

Suddenly, all of the plates in front of Sirius filled with food. Happiness flooded him, and as he turned to look at James, he was met with a large grin. The duo and their companions piled as much food on their plates as they could fit. Their choices included, but were not limited to, roast beef, steak and kidney pie, chips, mashed potatoes, lamb chops, and bacon. Warm food filled Sirius’s stomach, and a rare feeling of contentment engulfed him. All memories of going hungry were momentarily forgotten, and he couldn't help but laugh.

James did so as well, and so did Peter, who was stuffing food as fast as he could. Even Remus, who had looked so worn down, cracked a smile in the heat of the moment.

After dessert, the Gryffindors followed Fabian up to the common room. The redhead uttered the password—hecklejelly—and the door swung open.

“First year boys up that staircase, girls up the other,” Fabian said over the chatter. “And remember, if you need some help finding things tomorrow, I'm your guy.”

Sirius quite liked the feeling of the round room with its comfy-looking armchairs and its crackling fire. He followed James up the mentioned staircase, Peter, Remus, and one other behind him. Five red four-posters were in the room, with a small bedside table beside each one. The luggage had been helpfully carried up already.

Sirius recognized the fifth boy as the one James had been speaking to earlier. He had black hair and dark brown eyes.

“I'm Kingsley Shacklebolt,” he said, extending a hand.

Remus shook it politely.

“This is Remus,” James said, pointing to Remus. “And that's Sirius and Peter.”

Peter waved and Sirius smiled.

“Nice to meet you,” Remus said.

There was a brief silence.

“Well, I'll be going to bed,” Kingsley announced. He walked over to his luggage and pulled out a pair of pajamas. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter did the same, and soon, each of them was in bed and the lights were out.

“‘Night, guys,” James said.

Sirius smiled again. “Goodnight, James.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading. I'll post again as soon as I can.


	5. Misadventures and Mudbloods

Sirius shouted out in pain. “I'm sorry!”

“You didn't even try!” Orion yelled, punching his son once more. “Always the disappointment, always a failure!”

“I'm sorry, Father!” Sirius said again. He bumped into something while trying to back away and fell over. Looking up, he recognized the “something” as his mother. “Mother...please…”

“It's shameful, having had a _Gryffindor_ for a son!” Walburga shrieked. “You're not even worth my time!”

And suddenly Bellatrix was there, cackling. “Are you going to cry, Sirius? Cry because your mummy and daddy want to teach you a lesson?!” She fell into another laughing fit, kicking her high heel into his face. He yelped, feeling something warm and sticky slide down his cheek. The feeling of blood was all too familiar to him.

And then the face he had feared most appeared.

“R-Reg…” Sirius choked. “G-Get away from them…”

“Away?” Regulus asked, a questioning tone in his voice. “I'm helping them, Siri. This is what you _deserve,_ after all.”

All of them were kicking and hitting him, and someone was screaming, and all Sirius could think was, _I know._

  
Sirius gasped and sat up. He quickly looked around, having forgotten where he was. Red curtains surrounded him. He sighed and laid back down. He was in the Gryffindor common room, and no one here wanted to punish him. Sirius touched his face and found it wet. He looked at his hand and saw not blood, but tears. He did his best to rid his face of them before stepping out of bed and changing.

Sirius barely cracked the curtains on the windows open. It was early morning, and the sky was a simple pale blue. He smiled at the view of the Quidditch pitch that James’s window boasted.

He thought about the night before and grimaced. _I guess I have to tell them what house I'm in now._

He opened his knapsack and pulled out some unused paper, his ink, and his quill. Sirius made his way down to the common room and sighed in relief when he found it abandoned. He sat down in a comfy chair at a desk and smoothed out the parchment. Steadying his hand, he wrote.

_Dear Mother and Father,_

_I'm very sorry that I didn't send this to you last night. It was very late and I was very tired._

_Sirius paused and wondered if he ought to tell them about James. He shook his head a moment later._

_The grounds are very nice, as you no doubt know. The food, too, is excellent. I am not, in fact, in Hufflepuff. I'm sure you will be glad of that. Yet, unexpectedly, the Sorting Hat decided that I would be best fit for_

Sirius inhaled and exhaled, remembering his dream. Tears threatened to fill his eyes, but he forced a smile on himself. _I don't care._

_Gryffindor. I'm sure that this is the place for me, certainly if the hat says so. The house of the brave has quite a nice ring to it, in my opinion. I hope you'll agree._

_Tell Regulus that I'm thinking of him. I'm looking forward to seeing you all over the break._

_Lots of love from your son,_

_Sirius_

Sirius reread the letter multiple times. It brought great pride to him that there was hardly a trace of fear in the writing. He knew that he would be getting a punishment the next time he saw them, and a severe one, too. But it was nothing he wasn't used to. Surely, they would get over it, in time. _Won't they?_

Sirius stood and headed for the door before realizing that he didn't even know where the owlery was. He sat back down. He supposed that he would wait for somebody that wasn't nosy to show him the way.

Sirius put the letter in his pocket and grabbed another piece of unused paper from his pile. _What to draw?_ He thought to himself. _Perhaps Ashfere._ Sirius made a few starting strokes on his paper. He worked on the drawing for about half an hour before he heard footsteps descending the stairs. Sirius turned to see only a blonde girl, whose name he believed started with an “M”.

“Morning,” the girl said.

“Yes, it is,” Sirius replied.

“Ha ha,” said the girl with a genuine smile. “And you are?”

“Sirius,” Sirius replied. If he kept to his first name, perhaps she wouldn't know where he came from.

“Your name is Sirius?” the girl inquired. “Seriously?”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “If only I had a Galleon for every time I've heard that joke.”

“You wish.” The girl walked over to him. “I'm Marlene. Pleased to meet you.”

“The pleasure’s all mine,” Sirius said, bowing his head.

Marlene giggled. “Alright, then, Mr. Gentleman.”

Sirius blushed. _Try to relax,_ he told himself. The boy went back to his art.

“So,” Marlene began, “were you expecting to be in Gryffindor?”

Sirius shrugged, feigning, as usual, nonchalance. “Not really expecting anything, I guess.”

“Oh. Well, everyone back home was rooting for me to be in Gryffindor. Most of my family has been. Except my cousin, Elliot. He's in Ravenclaw. Not that I mind or anything. I'm not one of those cruel, pure-blood types.”

“Yeah,” Sirius said with a fake laugh.

Loud, crashing footsteps could suddenly be heard on the stairs. A messy-haired boy jumped over the last three and landed with his arms outstretched. “Good morning!”

Sirius grinned. “Hiya, James.”

“Ready for a tour of the castle?” James asked the other boy.

“Definitely,” Sirius replied.

“You two know where anything is?” Marlene questioned.

“Nope,” the duo replied in unison.

Marlene grinned. “You have fun with that. I'm going to see if there are any _girls_ in this place. Nice meeting you two.”

Marlene headed up the stairs to the girls dormitory, and Sirius and James happily walked out of the common room.

“Where to first, my friend?” James asked.

“The owlery, if we can find it,” Sirius replied. “I've got a letter to send.”

“Already?” James said with surprise. “Alright, then. Let's find ourselves an owlery.”

James and Sirius walked down the corridor and looked at the portraits as they went. They passed a man with a monocle and a handlebar mustache, who Sirius was quick to strike up a conversation with. James laughed as they compared favorite appetizers for fancy parties.

Soon they had forgotten all about the owlery. James ran down a staircase, followed by Sirius. It began to move when they were almost at the bottom and they almost fell off. They spent an hour just touring the castle, exploring every interesting thing they could find. It wasn't long before students started coming out of their dorms.

“Last one to the Great Hall has to...compliment Snivellus!” James shouted.

“Oh, you're on!” Sirius yelled back.

They started banging into those around them, earning remarks like, “Watch it!” Sirius didn't care. He was laughing at the sure bliss of it all, the ability to run and jump wherever he pleased without his parents knowing about it. He bounded down the stairs past James, swerving right around McGonagall.

“Mr. Black!” she shouted after him.

He served around a corner and watched James ram right into her. The look on his face was priceless as he looked to see who it was who he had run into.

“Mr. Potter, isn't it?” McGonagall questioned.

“Yes,” James replied.

Sirius was silently laughing and he stuck his tongue out at his friend. James scowled in response.

“Are you glaring at me, Mr. Potter?”

“No, no! I was just—”

Sirius strolled away into the Great Hall, smirking. He spotted Remus and Peter at the table and sat down next to them. Sirius received his and James’s schedules and began looking over his own.

“‘Morning,” Remus said drowsily. “Sleep well?”

Sirius remembered his nightmare and shook his head. “Yeah.”

Remus looked at him quizzically.

“What classes are you guys most excited for?” Peter asked, apparently unaware of the duo’s conversation.

“Maybe Astronomy,” Sirius answered quickly, wanting to change and forget the subject. “What about you, Remus?”

“Defense Against the Dark Arts,” Remus replied.

“Herbology sort of interests me,” Peter said. “But maybe Potions…”

James suddenly plopped down next to Sirius, the same scowl he'd had minutes before still on. “I've got a detention before the year’s even started.”

“That must be some sort of record,” Sirius said, causing James to perk up a little. “What are you lot looking at?”

Sirius passed James the schedule he had gotten for him. James started to look at it when Remus sighed.

“What's the matter?” Sirius asked, helping himself to a bagel.

“I just...I have no idea where any of these classes are. Maybe I should ask Fabian…”

An idea struck Sirius. He shook his head. “No need for that! James and I have been touring the castle all morning. We can show you your classes, right James?”

James tried to hide a grin as he said, “Definitely. Sirius and I have got you covered.”

“Do you think I could tag along?” Peter asked.

“Of course you can,” said Sirius.

After their meal, the group left the Great Hall and started up a set of stairs.

“Our first class is History of Magic,” Remus reminded them.

“Right,” Sirius said, only half paying attention. “This way!”

James didn't admit that they'd actually passed it a long time ago.

Sirius turned a corner and lead his friends into a room him and James hadn't ventured in yet.

“Wow,” Peter said.

They'd entered a large library full of shelves stocked to the brim with books. Sirius had never seen so many, not even at Flourish and Blotts.

“Merlin…” James said. “We have a lot of books at home but…”

“Come on!” Sirius said, laughing. “Let's look at this shelf!”

James, Sirius, and Peter ran over, Remus hesitantly following behind them.

“Guys…” Remus said.

“This one is about trolls!” Peter shouted excitedly.

“Not so loud…”

“Stop your worrying, Remus,” James said.

They continued to pull out books and skim them. James found one about practical jokes that particularly interested him.

“Look at this one, Sirius!” he exclaimed.

“Hey!”

All four boys looked up at the same time to see a very old lady matching toward them.

“You're supposed to be in class!” she shouted. “What are your names?”

“RUN!” James yelled and hightailed it.

Sirius grabbed Peter’s shirt sleeve and pulled him along faster. They bounded down the stairs and hopped the last few steps. Almost falling over, Sirius and the others burst out the front door. They ran over to the grass, where they toppled over.

A bubble of laughter came out of Sirius. He supposed it was the thrill of almost being caught, and knowing that, even if he was, there would be no intense punishment.

James started giggling too. Peter also did.

Trying not to smile, Remus said, “That was _not_ the History of Magic classroom.”

“Ya think?” Peter responded, laughing harder.

Remus finally broke, clutching his stomach and laughing with the others.

“That was pretty great, Sirius,” James said. “You're a natural troublemaker.”

“Is that a compliment?” Peter questioned.

“Coming from James, yes,” Sirius replied.

“Hey!” James said with mock anger.

“So...are we going to the next class?” Remus asked.

“No way!” Sirius, James, and Peter said together.

“But…”

“But what?” Sirius said.

“I just...I don't want to get kicked out.”

Sirius’s blood ran cold when he imagined getting kicked out. His parents would be even more ashamed of him than they already would be.

“Remus, don't be ridiculous!” James said. “They would never kick you out!”

“They might,” Remus argued quietly.

“Why?”

“Because...I'm a half-blood.”

Sirius noticed that it sounded more like a question than a statement, but didn't say anything out of amazement.

“You mean a Mudblood?” Sirius asked.

Peter gaped at him. Remus looked affronted, and James scowled.

“No, he means half-blood,” James said angrily.

“Yeah, he's a Mudblood,” Sirius said matter-of-factly.

The next thing he knew, James’s fist had connected with his face. He yelped and fell backwards into the grass. It hurt, but not intensely. He was more confused than injured. He'd never been punished for calling someone a Mudblood before.

“Why do you keep saying that?!” James shouted at him. “I thought that maybe you were different, but I was wrong. You're just like all those Slytherins!”

James started to stomp off before Sirius could stand.

“James, please come back!” Sirius said. “I thought that was what you're supposed to say!”

James stopped in his tracks and turned. “What?”

Sirius blushed and started fumbling over words. “I-I thought that that was—I mean, I'd never heard—I thought that Mudblood was—”

“Don't say it anymore,” Remus reminded him, sternly but not unkindly.

“Right. Sorry.”

“What do you mean, you thought that was what you were supposed to say?” James questioned him, coming back.

“I...I'd never heard it said any other way before,” Sirius admitted. “That's what my parents say. And my cousins. And uncles and aunts…”

“Classic pure-blood shite!” James shouted. “Teaching you all that…”

“James, stop it,” Remus interjected. “He can't help the way he is. He's never known anything else.”

James sighed and sat down across from Sirius in the grass. “Look, Sirius, I think you're a great guy. We all do. But, if you want to be our friend, you've got to learn right from wrong. You can't just be running around calling people Mudbloods, you know?”

Sirius nodded. “Yeah, I can do that.” _Maybe Mum and Dad are out of date with their ways. Maybe they're...confused._

“Excellent,” James said, extending a hand to help Sirius up after getting up himself. “And I'm...I'm sorry about punching you in the face.”

“It's fine,” Sirius said.

“Now...anyway...they're not gonna kick you out for being a half-blood. Now, come on!”

James and Peter started off again, looking for a new place to explore. Remus lingered back with Sirius.

“I'm sorry about calling you a…” Sirius started, “you-know-what.”

“You didn't know any better,” Remus assured him. “You do now. Apology accepted.”

“Thanks,” Sirius said, a weight dropping off of his shoulders. He didn't want to lose the friends he'd just made.

"Why were you so surprised about me being a half-blood anyway?"

"I've never talked to one before."

“Guys!” James was calling in the distance. “There's a giant squid!”

“Wait for us!” Sirius shouted back, running behind Remus.

 

 

 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it sure has been a while. Sorry about that. More to come soon (I think :P)


	6. Meddling Marauders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't updated for the longest time, and I'm truly sorry about that. Things have been really busy for me lately, and I'm going to try to get back into a more steady pattern from now on. I hope you enjoy!

After a relatively brief period of investigating the squid—it swam away—the boys headed back into the castle to continue their adventures. It was afternoon now, and they knew lunch would be held soon. Sirius could hear Peter’s stomach rumbling as they headed up the stairs back to the Gryffindor common room.

They silently approached the door with the fat lady on it.

“Shouldn't you boys be in class?” she asked them, tapping her foot.

“Probably,” James replied with a smile. “Any of you lot remember the password?”

“Hecklejelly,” Remus said.

The door swung open and the fat lady clicked her tongue.

“I can already tell that you boys are trouble.”

“Thank you much, ma’am,” Sirius said with a bow. “Have a lovely afternoon.”

The boys hopped through the entryway and shut the door. They rushed up the stairs and fell down on their beds.

“Anyone got any food?” Peter asked, a little desperation in his voice.

“We got any candy left from the train, Sirius?” James questioned.

“Nah, we ate it all,” Sirius responded.

“Note to self,” James began, actually talking to everyone. “When exploring, always make sure snacks are available.”

“If we’re not eating, then we might as well take this opportunity to keep looking around,” Remus said. “All the professors will be in the Great Hall, so there's less chance of us getting caught.”

“ _Excellent_ idea!” James exclaimed, placing a hand on Remus’s shoulder. “You're pretty clever for someone who wasn't so sure at first.”

Remus shrugged, smiling. “Maybe I'm liking a little risk.”

The boys bounded down the stairs, despite the clear disapproval of the fat lady. They had made it to the fourth floor when Sirius remembered the letter that was still in his pocket. “Hey, James?”

“Yeah?” James said, suddenly slowing to a stop.

“We need to find the owlery.”

“Oh, yeah!” James walked over to one of the portraits on the wall and knocked on the frame. An older man had been sleeping in a chair and he suddenly opened his eyes.

“What? What?” he said said, still groggy.

“We were wondering if you knew where the owlery was,” James said.

“You can get to it from the corridor at the end of the hall,” the man answered. “Now, let me sleep!” He was out again in an instant.

James lead them to the expected passageway and up some stairs. They ended up in a drafty room with glassless windows. All types of owls surrounded them. Sirius found Ashfere in the mix and walked over to him.

“I've never seen a black owl before,” Remus said, walking after Sirius.

“Yeah, the person I bought him from said it was pretty rare.” Sirius didn't bother to mention the high price that Ashfere had come to him with.

Sirius reached for his breast pocket and pulled out the letter. He looked at it for a moment, his stomach dropping. A chill ran through him, and it wasn't because of the windows.

Remus looked from the letter to Sirius. “Are you alright?” he asked quietly.

Sirius said nothing. Robotically, he handed the letter to Ashfere and let the bird fly away. Sirius remembered his nightmare and felt like he was going to throw up.

“You okay, Sirius?” James asked, walking over and placing a gentle hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“What?” Sirius hadn't been paying attention. He blinked a few times and met James’s eyes. “Uh, yeah. It's probably just because I'm hungry.”

Sirius felt another pair of eyes on him and looked at Remus. He looked disbelieving, and a little sad. _What's really wrong?_ his eyes asked.

“Yeah, aren't we all,” James said with a chuckle. “Let's keep going, get our minds off food.”

“Good idea,” Sirius said, walking out of the owlery as fast as he could. He wasn't sure he wanted Remus looking at him that way.

James and Sirius did make good on their promise to show the others every class. They had to sprint away once they found them in order to be undetected, but at the locations were now known. It was Peter’s idea to check out the dungeons below, and so they did. Peter seemed to regret his choice immediately.

The dungeons were much more ominous than the rest of the castle. Eerie shadows were cast along the walls, and there was too much dankness for anyone’s taste. It was about as cold down there as the owlery, and as comfortable as Sirius's cousin’s house.

“This is an...interesting change in decoration,” Remus stated, earning laughs from his companions.

They ran quickly past what seemed to be the potions room and continued to look around.

“This is where those Slytherins stay,” James said bitterly. “The perfect spot for them too, in the wet, cold, dark dungeons. I can definitely see Snivellus staying here.”

Sirius laughed for a moment, imagining the greasy haired boy spending his time here. He imagined Bellatrix and Narcissa, too. This seemed the perfect place for them. But he suddenly remembered Andromeda. Could she really stay down here in the dungeons? Had she met Snivellus? Did she think he was nice? _Not all Slytherins can be bad…_

“Can we _please_ go back upstairs?” Peter asked. “I _really_ don't like it down here.”

James was about to open his mouth with a retort when Remus said, “Yeah, I agree. I don't like the feel of this place. Come on, Peter.”

As they were about to reach the staircase, kids came swarming out of the classroom. James walked up the stairs, followed by Sirius, Remus, and then Peter.

_Act natural,_ Sirius thought. They tried to look as if they were among the kids coming out of class, but didn't get too close in case the kids asked questions about where they had been. They kept walking until they were all the way up the stairs when they saw McGonagall.

“Get moving, boys!” James cried, and they scrambled down the hall of the first floor. They hopped into the first room they saw and slammed the door.

At first, the room appeared to be another broom closet, but they quickly discovered it to be something else. Shelves upon shelves held vials and jars filled with all kinds of strange potions. James chuckled.

“I bet we can have some fun with some of these,” he said with a smirk.

Remus, being the skinniest, was picked to go up on Peter’s shoulders to reach higher places. He tossed down several different colored liquids, Sirius catching each one. He held a green one in a very thick bottle when Peter began to wobble.

“Watch out!” Sirius shouted as Peter gave in and toppled over. After slamming into the ground, Remus lost his grip on the potion and it whizzed into the air. In an instant it had shattered on the floor. The green potion oozed out and wood began to sizzle.

“Whoops,” Peter said sheepishly, his face turning red.

“Bloody idiot!” James said grumpily, crossing his arms. “Now the whole school knows we're here!”

“S-Sorry, James,” Peter replied, trying to wipe away tears that were forming. “I didn't mean to.”

The door opened and someone entered. “ _Evanesco._ ” The sizzling stopped. The boys turned to see that the acidic liquid was gone. In its place was a gaping hole. “I'll have to get Filch.”

“Uh oh,” Sirius said.

“‘Uh oh’ is right, Mr. Black,” McGonagall replied. “You've been absent in classes all day, and now I find you...you _meddling marauders_ messing around with Professor Slughorn’s materials! What do you have to say for yourselves?”

“Meddling marauders,” James repeated. He looked up at McGonagall and smiled. “I like the sound of that.”

Sirius laughed, and McGonagall scowled. “Detention for a week. For all of you. Now, I want you to find Mr. Filch and start helping him clean up this mess. You'll start your classes tomorrow, and I don't want to hear any complaining about being behind.”

“Yes, ma’am,” they all said.

As Sirius walked out, he was sure he saw the ghost of a smile on McGonagall’s face.


	7. To Howl or Not to Howl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this update is kind of short, but another is coming soon!

Their confrontation with McGonagall had quickly spread around the school. Their fellow Gryffindors had noticed their absence in class, and at dinner, they were eager to learn of the story. Sirius and James rushed to oblige, despite their extreme hunger.

“There was a giant squid—” James started.

“Absolutely monstrous—” Sirius cut in.

“It's in the lake! We toured the whole school—”

“And found the potions closet—”

“And burned a hole in the floor,” Remus said.

“Merlin, Kingsley,” Marlene said mockingly, turning to the boy in question. “You didn't tell me you had a bunch of _rebels_ bunking with you.”

“Marauders, actually,” James corrected.

Marlene smirked. “Marauders?”

“Yeah, that's us. We're the Marauders, right, boys?”

“Yeah,” Sirius agreed with a smile.

Remus nodded his head, and Peter, through a mouthful of food, chipped in with a “definitely!”

Marlene laughed. “You guys are such dorks.”

“You'll see,” James said, puffing up his chest. “Soon enough, we’ll cause even more mischief than...Peeves!”

“Peeves?” Sirius inquired.

“He's this poltergeist that refuses to leave the school,” James explained. “The groundskeeper, Filch, has been trying to get rid of him for ages.”

“You sure do know a lot, James,” Peter said with respect.

“Learned it all from my dad,” James replied.

“Same way you learned Slytherins are evil?” asked a voice.

Sirius turned his head to see a red headed girl sitting in between two other girls he'd seen at the Sorting ceremony. Lily.

“You don't have to be told to figure that out,” James retorted. “And don't go insulting my dad.” James paused a moment before continuing. “You'd think you'd know Slytherins are rubbish just from Snivellus.”

Lily went red enough to match her hair. “ _Severus_ is a wonderful friend, and I doubt that you would know anything about it.”

James ruffled his hair and straightened his glasses. “I'm sure he is. That explains why you didn't want to talk to him on the train.”

“That wasn't—” Lily huffed and stood. “I'm going back to the dorm, Marlene.”

The blonde nodded and waved goodbye to her friend. Then she turned on James. “What was that about?”

“Her pal is a twit, that's all,” James said.

“Speaking of Snivellus,” Sirius said, grinning, “I think you have a bet to settle.”

James scowled but stood and walked toward the Slytherin table.

“What bet?” Remus questioned, leaning to get a better look.

“When we were racing down the stairs this morning, I said the last one to the Great Hall had to compliment Snivellus.”

Remus nodded. “What's so bad about him?”

Sirius thought about it for a moment. “He just rubbed me up the wrong way, insulting Gryffindor, upsetting Lily...and it looked like he hadn't showered in years.”

Remus seemed to be stifling a laugh when James plopped back down at the table.

“What'd you say?” Sirius asked with a smirk.

“Told him his hair looked lovely,” James murmured.

Sirius fell into a fit of laughter, and James eventually had to join in.

Marlene rolled her eyes and stood up. “I'm going to go sit with Lily. See you later, Seriously.”

They enjoyed the rest of dinner, as well as dessert, before heading up to the common room. Their detentions would officially start tomorrow, so they had an hour or so to relax. As soon as Lily saw James and Sirius enter, she left with a huff.

“Seems like we've upset her,” Sirius said with a smile.

James shrugged. “Girls are stupid anyway.”

“If that's what you think, then you're the stupid one,” Marlene called from across the room. She seemed to be working on some kind of parchment.

“Whatcha got there?” Sirius asked, walking over. “An essay?”

“Yeah, the opening assignment for the class. Which you didn't go to.” Rather than looking irritated, Marlene smiled.

“Which class?” Remus questioned.

“History of Magic. It's so boring.”

“Shame we missed it then,” James said with a grin. “You boys want to go out adventuring again?”

Before Sirius could say anything, Remus said, “No. Do you want two weeks of detention before we've even gone to a single class?”

James shrugged. “No, I just want some fun.”

“Here, I brought a much less reckless way to have fun. Let me go get it.”

“I'll come, too,” Sirius said. “I'm going to get my drawing.”

The two boys went up the stairs, side by side.

“Did you have a good day, Remus?” Sirius asked, smiling.

“Yes, I did.”

“We did promise you some fun.”

“No, you promised to take me to my classes.”

“Well…” Sirius trailed off. Remus was wearing a small smile.

There was a brief silence before Remus continued. “You seemed kind of nervous today, Sirius.”

Sirius fought to keep his voice steady as he said, “What do you mean?”

“This morning at breakfast when I asked you how you slept. In the owlery when you were sending the letter. Is everything...alright?”

Mustering up all his confidence, Sirius replied, “Yeah, of course everything is alright. I was just zoning out because...I was bored.”

“Oh,” Remus said, though he didn't seem quite convinced. “Okay then.”

Remus didn't bring it up for the rest of the night. He had brought Gobstones, a game which Peter had a certain love for. Peter went on to explain how it was very similar to the Muggle game of marbles, which Remus agreed to. Sirius was interested; he never got to hear about Muggle hobbies.

“Yeah, my dad taught me marbles before my mum got me a Gobstones set,” Peter explained. “I left it at home, forgetful as I am. Can I play with you, Remus?”

“Of course.”

While they went about their game, James sighed. “Can't see what anyone would like about Gobstones. All the action is in Quidditch!”

“I've never been very good at that,” Peter admitted, rolling one of the stones at Remus’s. Remus lost a point and and felt a gross liquid spray on his face. “Fun to watch though.”

“My dad said that they don't allow first years to be on the Quidditch team, but next year, I'll join for sure!” James announced.

Peter had clearly lost his focus listening to that rant, as Remus knocked every one of his Gobstones out of the ring. Peter was covered in juice when Remus said, “Good game.”

“Blimey, you're pretty good at this.”

“I have a lot of spare time.”

James resigned himself to watching their rematch while Sirius continued on Ashfere. He continued to feather the bird before finally starting on the face.

“That's a nice drawing,” someone said. Sirius turned to see a brunette girl wearing glasses. She had a book under her arm and smiled at his work.

“Thanks. It's my owl.”

“I can see that.”

Sirius chuckled a little.

The girl sat down next to him and they talked while he worked. Her name was Emmeline Vance. Like Remus, she'd thought she was bound for Ravenclaw, but the hat saw some sort of fiery part inside her. Sirius nodded.

“I bet you thought you were for Slytherin, huh?” Emmeline said casually.

“What makes you think that?” Sirius asked somewhat defensively.

“Well...I mean...never mind.”

Sirius got in bed thinking of his letter. Every time he was almost to sleep, anxiety would fill him again. _What will they say in a letter tomorrow? Will it be a Howler?_ He tossed and turned, and by some miracle, finally fell asleep.

He dreamt that night that it was a Howler. His mother shrieked about how he was the family disappointment, that he may as well never come home again. Bellatrix cackled, and Narcissa and her boyfriend pointed and laughed. He'd rushed to Andromeda for help, but she told him there was no point in being at Hogwarts at all if he wasn't Slytherin. To top it all off, Snivellus got up on the table and reminded him that he should've hoped for Slytherin after all.

Sirius woke the next morning with a sense of dread. He hardly wanted to move from the bed. _If I stay here, then maybe I won't have to see the letter. Maybe Dumbledore will tell them to throw it out. It won't be my problem._ He then cursed James for being an early riser.

“Sirius! Wake up!” James cried, jumping on the bed. He pulled back the curtains of the four poster and grinned down at his friend. “It's almost time for breakfast!”

Dread flooded through Sirius again. “Good, I'm starving.” He forced himself up, not allowing any anxiety to leak onto his face.

“Remus!” James said, running over to the next bed.

Kingsley groaned and put his head under his pillow. “James, some of us are trying to sleep.”

“Quit trying,” James replied.

“Sorry, Kingsley,” Remus murmured. “James can be a bit of a prat.”

“Hey!” James exclaimed.

Kingsley laughed.

“Time to get up, Remus!” James told his friend.

“I'm not a morning person, and I'm really not that hungry,” Remus said. “Go bother Peter.”

James sighed. “I’ll be back with you in a moment. Peter!”

Soon enough, all the boys were out of the dorm. They wandered down to breakfast, Remus in the back. He rubbed his eyes sleepily. When they sat down, Sirius noticed that he was looking rather pale. He hardly touched his food.

“Does anybody have the schedule?” Peter asked.

“Yeah,” Remus said, pulling his out. “Good thing we've all got the same.”

“Mail’s here!” James said, no doubt looking for his owl in the mix.

Sirius could hear his heart pounding in his ears. _Please don't be a Howler,_ he thought. _Please don't be a Howler._ Bird after bird soared down, bringing small gifts for younger students and newspapers for older ones. Minutes passed, and soon the owls were all gone. Sirius looked over at the Slytherin table, wondering if the letter had ended up there by accident, but just saw the regular chatter. No letter had come for him.

 _Maybe this is better,_ Sirius told himself. But somehow, he knew it was worse.

 


	8. Classes, Closets, and Crying—Oh My!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know I haven't updated in ages. I'm truly sorry, and my only excuse is that things have been really busy lately! I hope all of you enjoy.

History of Magic turned out to be more boring than any of them had expected. James ignored Professor Binns staring off into the distance and occasionally staring at Lily. Sirius doodled the giant squid on the corner of his parchment, then looked up to see that Remus had actually fallen asleep. Sirius noted that he looked rather ashen, but decided there wasn't much to do about it. Peter was the only one somewhat paying attention, scribbling out a fact here and there. Sirius couldn't tell if it was due to some strange interest or just the desire to pass the class.

At the end of the period, Binns assigned them an eighteen inch essay on the Vampire March of 1482, due Monday. They'd apparently missed the first half of the lesson from Thursday, and hadn't paid attention to the second half.

 _Good thing Peter was listening,_ Sirius thought.

“What's the next class?” Peter asked as they stood.

“Remus’ll know,” James replied.

Sirius looked to see the boy in question still fast asleep on the desk. Not quite fast asleep. He was jerking around, and shaking just a little. Gently, Sirius made his way over to Remus and shook his shoulder.

“Remus?” Sirius said quietly.

Remus jolted awake, looking around and panting. His eyes locked on Sirius and he relaxed a little. “Hello.”

“You slept through History of Magic,” Sirius said, trying to keep up a careless smile.

“W-What?” Remus questioned, rubbing his eyes. He was even paler up close.

“Yeah, essay due Monday. Good thing we've got the weekend, eh?”

Remus didn't say anything. Whatever shock he'd had when he woke up, it was already long gone.

“You know the next class?” Sirius asked, keeping a hand on Remus’s shoulder.

Remus blinked a few times before forcing himself to his feet. “Charms.”

“Alright, let's go then!” James exclaimed. He started to run out the door.

“Wait!” Sirius shouted.

James stopped and looked from Sirius to Remus. “What?”

“Can we...not run?” Sirius requested. “I...didn't eat much at breakfast and I'm pretty drained.”

“...Yeah. Sure.”

The Marauders headed out of the class and carefully walked to Flitwick's. His class was much more exciting than the last one, as they actually got to do things. They were assigned to learn the Levitation Charm that day, and most of the boys were struggling.

“ _Wingardium Leviosa!_ ” James said, flourishing his wand. Nothing. “This blasted thing! I just can't get it.”

Peter was watching his fellow classmates flourish the wand, trying to perfect that element first. Remus, meanwhile, was just trying to stay awake.

“ _Wingardium Leviosa,_ ” Sirius said quietly, flourishing the wand. Nothing. Maybe I'm not saying it right, he thought. “ _Wingardium Leviosa._ ”

Everyone tried and tried. Kingsley seemed to be taking a calculated approach, saying the incantation in an even voice each time. Marlene was getting angry, and was starting to emphasize the ends of her words in rage. Half an hour into the class, James threw his wand onto the table, exclaiming that the spell was impossible and that he would never get it.

“Keep trying,” Peter said, having finally mastered the flourish bit. “You're clever, James. You'll get it eventually.”

James huffed, picking up his wand and continuing to attempt the spell.

 _I need to do this differently,_ Sirius thought. “ _Wingardium Leviosa._ ” Slowly but surely, Sirius's feather began to rise into the air. James clapped and whooped and Peter congratulated him. Remus only smiled.

“Very good!” Professor Flitwick cried. “Very good indeed! Excellent work, Mr. Black!”

“How did you do that?” Marlene asked, running over.

“I just shifted my emphasis,” Sirius said with a noncommittal shrug. “It was a cinch.”

“Sure it was,” Marlene said, rolling her eyes and walking back over to her table.

The only other person to get the spell by the end of the period was Emmeline Vance, the same girl who Sirius had spoken with the previous night. Remus seemed dazed as they moved to the next class, Flitwick telling them to “keep practicing!”

“You alright, mate?” Sirius asked him quietly.

“Fine,” Remus replied, still looking at nothing. It seemed like some kind of habit, but Sirius couldn't quite puzzle out why.

Peter was rather timid as they entered their next class. James, however, popped in with a wide smile.

“Morning, Professor McGonagall!” he said happily, sitting down right near the front. McGonagall didn't look pleased. Sirius tried not to smirk as he sat down in the seat next to James.

“Good morning, Mr. Potter and Mr. Black,” she replied curtly. “Normally in this class, we would get right down to starting notes...” McGonagall said, now addressing the whole class. Everyone groaned. “ _But,_ seeing as how Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, Mr. Pettigrew, and Mr. Lupin weren't here yesterday, they will show us all their transfiguration skills. Gentlemen, here are your matches. The spell to turn them into needles is _Foramen Acus Transire._ You may begin.”

The Marauders stood and faced the rest of their classmates.

“Sirius, you should go first because it was such a cinch for you last time!” Marlene called to him.

Sirius shot her a look and she laughed.

Might as well try, he thought. He lifted his wand and said, “ _Foramen Acus Transire!_ ” There was a small puff of smoke. Upon closer inspection, the match had turned purple. “At least it changed a little, right?”

The class laughed and Sirius sat down.

James looked intently at his match. He looked to McGonagall, then smiled. “ _Foramen Acus Transire._ ” A puff of smoke, and Sirius could see a glimmering stick of silver. “That wasn't so hard.”

Sirius laughed and clapped for his friend, just as James had done for him.

McGonagall picked up the match-turned-needle and glanced at James. “Thanks to Mr. Potter, the other two of you are excused from this.”

The look of relief on Peter’s face was almost comedic, but the one on Remus’s was sadder. Even so, Sirius couldn't help but notice that well-hidden smile from his teacher again.

The rest of the class was filled with boring notes, and at the end of it, McGonagall told each of the Marauders about the homework they'd missed from the previous night.

“Good job, Potter,” McGonagall said to James on the way out.

James bragged about it all the way down the hall. “I bet all if you thought Sirius was the only talented one around here, but I got it on the _first try!_ Beat that!”

“Yeah, well...turning a match into a needle isn't even helpful!” Sirius retorted, crossing his arms. “I could float you around the whole dormitory and there'd be nothing you could do about it.”

James frowned.

“I wish I was good at something,” Peter said dolefully.

“You will be!” Sirius assured him. “And if you're not a natural, we’ll help you along, right, mates?”

“Of course,” James replied, patting Peter on the shoulder. “I also wanted to say...I'm sorry for yelling at you yesterday. In the closet. It was sort of your fault but...I really shouldn't have called you an idiot.”

“Oh, uh...thanks,” Peter said, smiling a little. “And I'm sorry I dropped you, Remus.”

Remus had a dazed look. He nodded a little.

“Ready for lunch?” James asked excitedly.

The room, as usual, was full of talkative students and delicious foods. The four boys sat down together. Sirius started to fill his plate when he noticed Remus almost falling asleep again.

“Come on, Remus!” Sirius said, nudging his friend. “It's lunch, not nap time!”

“I’m not hungry,” Remus said sleepily. Then he eyed a pile of chocolate covered strawberries and put them on his plate. He bit into one and smiled a little.

 _I wonder why he's so tired…_ Sirius thought. He munched on a sandwich as he listened to James talk about his success in Transfiguration.

“First try!” he reminded everyone in close vicinity.

“I was pretty awesome in Charms,” Sirius said, not really to James.

“Yes, yes, you're both fabulous!” Marlene exclaimed exasperatedly. “Will you both shut up now?”

“I think you're just jealous,” James said, smirking a little.

“I could beat you at anything, anyday,” Marlene challenged. She smiled a little. “How about we see who can get the highest at our first Quidditch lesson? Next week.”

James laughed. “You're on, Mar. But between you and me? You'll _never_ beat me at Quidditch.”

“I'll fly circles around you, Jamie.”

The rest of the lunch consisted of the first year Gryffindor boys and girls shouting at each other. Sirius fought off insults to James from Mary, a witty Asian girl, and Dorcas, a readily feisty black girl.

“James is so good at Quidditch that there are already teams lining up to sign him once he's of age!” Sirius said.

“Well, Marlene is so good that she beat the flying speed world record last year!” Dorcas shouted back, grinning.

“James could do that on a _toy_ broom!” Peter said.

“That doesn't even make sense!” Mary cried.

“She's got a point there, Pete,” James said, chuckling a little. “I appreciate the effort, though.”

“I bet Potter will be so busy tending to his ego that he’ll forget where he's going,” Lily suddenly said.

“At least I have friends to point me in the right direction,” James retorted. “Snivellus’s hair will just drip grease all over the floor and you'll slip!”

Sirius and Peter laughed, slapping James on the back and nodding enthusiastically.

Sirius was so caught up in the moment that he didn't even think before he opened his mouth next. “Yeah, at least none of us are Mudbloods!”

Everyone froze. Sirius was still smiling when he noticed the look on James’s face. Even Remus didn't look so tired anymore, lifting his head off the table and looking in with shock.

“Well, Potter, Severus may be in Slytherin but at least he's not an elitist _pure-blood!_ ” Practically in tears, Lily ran off.

“You really _are_ like all the rest!” Marlene said angrily, running after her friend.

The gravity of what Sirius had said hit him almost as hard as the words of the girls. He felt like the whole world was spinning and it wouldn't stop. Sirius’s eyes started to burn and he was on his feet before he knew it. _I_ am _just like Mother and Father. Is that...a bad thing?_ Sirius started to move away and felt someone gripping his arm. He turned to see Remus looking at him sadly.

“Sirius, don't go,” Remus said.

Sirius pulled his arm away and ran out of the Great Hall. He had no idea where he was going, just as long as he could get away from everyone. Everything. _Mudblood_! The word echoed through his head and he hated it with all of his being. _Why did I say something like that?! I'm so stupid! I'm such a disappointment._ All thoughts of his parents and his letter came back to him as well, making him feel even more sick. _I should be in Slytherin after all._

Tears were streaming down Sirius’s face by the time he found a suitable place to hide. He threw open the door to the closet and slammed in shut. In complete darkness, he fell to the floor and continued to cry quietly. He heard a moan and cried for a second more before freezing. Another moan. _That's not me._

Slowly, Sirius got to his feet. Taking a deep breath, he dared to speak. “Who’s there?”

There were startled gasps before someone said, “ _Lumos!_ ”

Sirius gaped when he saw who it was. “Andromeda?”

 

 

 

 

 

 




**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the cliffhanger (not)! I'll try hard to update soon. Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it.


	9. Black Sheep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These last two updates have been pretty close together, but don't expect it for long! My break is almost over, sadly, but I'll still try to update regularly. Thanks for reading!

“Andromeda?” Sirius exclaimed, making out her face from the light of her wand. “What are you doing in here?”

And then he noticed the other person. It was a boy about the same age as Andromeda with sandy blonde hair blue eyes. He was rubbing the back of his neck and looked awfully disheveled. His hair was all over the place, and his tie was _definitely_ not in place. His _Hufflepuff_ tie.

 _Oh, Merlin,_ Sirius thought. “Who's he?”

Andromeda groaned, putting her hands over her eyes. “Ted, would you mind leaving us? And we can...talk later?”

“Of course,” the boy, apparently Ted, replied. He leaned in and whispered something in Andromeda’s ear, causing her to smile slightly. Ted promptly left.

Worry immediately took over Andromeda’s features again. She looked up at Sirius, walked over, and gripped his shoulders tightly. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, starting to pace. “Merlin…”

“Andromeda, tell me what's going on,” Sirius pleaded, walking over to her and placing a gentle hand on her back. “Who's Ted? Why are you so nervous?”

Andromeda sighed once more, finally meeting her younger cousin’s eyes. “Siri, can you promise me that you'll never repeat any of this?”

“Absolutely,” Sirius said, nodding hurriedly. “I won't tell anybody.”

“Not your Mum and Dad or friends or even Reg?”

“Yeah,” Sirius agreed. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

“Okay.” Andromeda groaned.

Sirius reached for her hand and squeezed it, earning a weak smile.

“Do you remember about a month ago when I almost brought somebody up but...didn't?”

Sirius thought back to when they were in Diagon Alley a month ago and Andromeda had seemed scared beyond belief about her slip up. “Yeah…?”

“Well...Ted is the person I was going to mention. We...we met last year in double herbology, and he offered to help me study after class, because I'm rubbish at herbology. And then we got to talking and we really hit it off. One thing led to another, and when he asked me out to Hogsmeade...I just couldn't say no, Sirius! I...I really love him, so much that I'm willing to try to hide him from Narcissa and Lucius and our whole family.” She took a breath and sat down. “It feels so good to finally tell somebody.”

Sirius blinked a few times before plopping down next to her. “Wow. That's...a lot to take in. You must really love him.”

“I do. He's sweet and funny and just _everything_ Mum and Dad could never offer me in a hand-picked husband. But I know that if they ever found out that I wasn't dating a pure-blood…”

“I know what you mean,” Sirius said sadly, rubbing his cheek out of habit. “But don't worry, ‘Dromeda. I'll never tell.”

Andromeda smiled and hugged him. “Thank you, Siri. You're the best.”

“I know,” Sirius replied jokingly, earning a light punch to the arm. “I would never reveal how... _steamy_ it was in here.”

“Shut up!” Andromeda said, standing up but laughing.

Sirius imitated her moans, laughing as he did so.

“I take it back! You're the _worst!_ ” Andromeda cried, still a smile on her face. “We were only kissing.”

“Must've been some kiss,” Sirius said quietly. Andromeda lightly punched him again as he started to make smooching noises. “Thanks for telling me.”

“Now, before we get out of this closet...I notice tears when I see them. What's up?”

“Oh, nothing,” Sirius said, playing with a string on his robe.

“Nothing?” Andromeda repeated, moving closer to him. “Blacks don't cry at ‘nothing’, especially not you.”

“Alright, you got me. I got in a fight with someone in my house and...called them a Mudblood.”

Andromeda didn't gasp or groan or make him feel bad, though. Instead, she pulled him in for a hug. “Oh, Sirius...this must be so confusing for you…”

“It _is,_ ” Sirius replied, wrapping his arms around her. “I didn't even know there was another term for it! And then James told me it was bad, but I was mad at that girl so I just repeated what Mum always says...and then they called me an elitist pure-blood!”

“Okay, Sirius,” Andromeda started, pulling back from the hug and meeting his eyes. “Now that you're here, you can't say things like that anymore. Those things are _bad_ things, and...our family is wrong to say them. You and I are kind of similar, right?”

Sirius nodded.

“I think you're gonna learn pretty quickly about how different our lives are from theirs, and it's up to you to decide what to do with that information. But I think you and I...we’re not like them. I mean, just look at you! In Gryffindor and everything.”

“They haven't sent me anything back,” Sirius cut in.

Andromeda paled, then hugged him again. “You know you can always talk to me about anything. Right?”

“Yeah,” Sirius said. “Sometimes I feel like you're the _only_ person I can talk to.”

“Hopefully that will change with your friends,” Andromeda said. Then she pulled away for the last time, stretching. “Well, we can't stay in this closet forever. I'll see you around, Siri. And remember that you can always talk to me.”

“Thanks, ‘Dromeda. And tell Ted hi for me!”

He started making moaning noises again, causing Andromeda to exit the closet and slam the door. Sirius snicker before leaving himself.

 _I guess I have to deal with my words now,_ Sirius thought as he walked back towards the lunch room. But as soon as he was close enough to enter, everyone started leaving. He pushed through the crowd to find the Marauders, but was unsuccessful.

Sirius looked watched for shorter Gryffindors, hoping that he would find his friends before the start of the next period. At last, he spotted a black mess of hair on a boy next to a boy with brown hair. A chubbier boy was walking beside them, his arms occasionally being thrown out in gesticulations. Sirius ran over to them, jostling those around him until he had a place next to James.

Sirius tapped James’s shoulder and got the boy to turn around.

“Hey,” Sirius said quietly, yet loud enough to be heard over the chaos of the other students.

“What do you want?” James asked, starting to walk faster and putting an arm around Remus to make sure he could keep up.

“I want to say sorry,” Sirius answered, keeping step with James. “What I did back there was unacceptable, and I recognize that.”

“Wish you would've recognized that _before_ you said it.”

“Me, too.” Sirius took a breath, looking down. “I feel awful about it, and I don't really have any excuses, except that hearing those words is just commonplace for me.”

“So?”

“I would really like to have friends that _don't_ use those words. Could you please give me a second chance?”

“Already gave you one of those yesterday,” James said, looking straight ahead.

Sirius sighed and put a hand on James’s shoulder, stopping him. James looked up with fire in his eyes.

“Look, I'm not promising to be perfect,” Sirius said honestly. “But I'm promising to try. I'm promising to apologize every time I slip up. I'm promising to accept the consequences of my words, and I'm promising to get better. I'm not just your…” Sirius frowned as he said the next words, “...run-of-the-mill pure-blood, okay? Can you just please, _please,_ forgive me for this?”

James ran a hand through his hair and tapped his foot. Eventually, he couldn't fight the smile from entering his face. “Alright, I forgive you. But just...you've gotta try harder, okay? And apologize to Red, huh?”

“Yeah, I will,” Sirius said, thanking Merlin that he hadn't lost his new best friend. “Thank you, James. How about you, Remus? Peter?”

“Of course I forgive you,” Remus said. “Honest slip, right?”

Sirius nodded.

“I forgive you, too,” Peter said. “Besides, us Marauders have to stick together, right?”

“Couldn't have said it better myself,” Sirius replied. “Where to next, Remus?”

The small boy stifled a yawn and said, “Herbology.”

“Outside we go, then!” Sirius said with a laugh and a point. “To the greenhouse!”

After being introduced to the Hufflepuff Head of House, the boys started to work with a gently hissing flower. It was bright red and had some spikes on its stem. The petals seemed to be moving to be open, then closed, then open again, almost like a sort of mouth.

“It looks a bit like a tulip,” Peter noted. “My dad is always tending after them.”

“Dare you to pet the top of it,” James said to Peter.

“No way!” Peter exclaimed, shaking his head. “I'm not...losing a hand, or whatever will happen to me.”

James rolled his eyes. “Prat. Oi, Kingsley!”

“I'm staying out of it James,” Kingsley said before the other boy could even make a proposition.

James huffed. “What will it take to get some action around here?”

“Why don't you do it?” Peter asked with a small smile. “‘Cause it seems like you're just as scared as the rest of us.”

“Oh, I'll show you, Pettigrew!” James said indignantly.

Sirius watched with a smirk as James took off his glove and threw it at Peter. With some hesitation, James slowly brought his hand to the top of the plant. Suddenly, he brought it down and stroked the top, as if trying to hurry and escape before anything could happen. Hard as he tried, it didn't work.

“OW!” James cried, pulling back his hand and shaking it out. “It _burns!_ ”

“Never stroke a Scarlet Stinger, Mr. Potter,” Professor Sprout said. “It will shoot a defensive poison at you that will burn your hand.”

“Is it lethal?” Peter asked worriedly.

“No, Mr. Potter will be fine.”

“How long till it stops burning?” James questioned, clearly trying hard not to shake his hand constantly for the sake of his pride.

“Oh, probably about...twelve hours?”

James groaned and Peter cackled.

“Not _one_ word, Peter,” James said angrily. Another look at the boy and he started laughing too.

Their next class was Defense Against the Dark Arts, where Remus was actually trying to stay awake. Professor Darbus, the teacher, wasn't particularly happy about their missing his class the previous day. Even so, he didn't give them a hard time about it and continued on with his lesson about fire crabs. Peter was scribbling down notes again, which Sirius was very thankful for by the time Darbus asked for an essay about the topic by Monday.

On the way out of class, Sirius saw the redhead go by.

"Hey, Lily!" Sirius called, trying to get to her.

She turned, glared, and walked off faster. Sirius sighed and went back to his friends.

“And our last class of the day is…” James looked to Remus.

“Potions,” Remus replied. He looked like he might collapse, much to Sirius’s worry.

“Fun,” James said sarcastically. “Alright, let’s go.”

James and Peter bounded down the steps, Sirius and Remus right behind them. Sirius kept watching his friend, trying to make sure that the boy didn't fall over. Remus clutched the railing tightly, but didn't fall. They were surprised to meet such a happy face in such a dark room.

“Welcome to Potions!” the man said. “I'm Professor Slughorn. I'm here to teach you the basics and…” His eyes met the Marauders. “I don't think I saw you four in here yesterday.”

“It’s because they think they're above the rest of us,” Lily said angrily.

“Nobody asked you, Evans!” James retorted, crossing his arms.

“Whoa, whoa!” Slughorn said, putting his hands up. “Let's all just calm down, now. What are your names?”

“I'm James,” James said.

“James what?” Slughorn pushed.

“James Potter.”

“Oh, excellent! Your dad invented Sleakeazy’s Hair Potion! You'll do excellently in this class, I expect.”

James shrugged.

“How about you, young man?” Slughorn questioned next, looking at Remus.

“Remus Lupin,” Remus replied, trying to stand up straight.

“Your dad must be Lyall Lupin?”

Remus nodded.

“Brilliant man, indeed. And how about you?”

Sirius tried to hide his gulp and the sudden spark of anxiety that flooded him. “Sirius Black,” he said carelessly.

“Black!” Slughorn exclaimed. “As in, _the_ Blacks? Renowned pure-blood family?”

“That would be us,” Sirius said nonchalantly, wishing more than anything that this embarrassment would be over.

“Well, that's excellent!” Slughorn said. “It's very good to meet you, Mr. Black, very good indeed!”

Sirius nodded. “You as well, sir.”

“I'm Peter Pettigrew!” Peter said before he could be forgotten.

“Good, good,” Slughorn said back, not really paying attention. “Now, let's begin our class!”

Slughorn started going on about the twelve uses of dragon blood, occasionally drifting from the subject to talk about something else. Slughorn kept looking over at him and smiling, something that made Sirius fairly uncomfortable.

“...And a bezoar can in fact be very helpful at times. But it looks like we've run out of time. We will be making some potions on Monday, so be ready for that!”

Sirius stood and waited for the other Marauders. Once they were all moving, he started toward the exit. Before he knew it, Slughorn was in front of him with a smile on his face.

“Mr. Black, if you ever need anything, just let me know...I run something called the Slug Club if you might be interested!”

“I'll think about it,” Sirius replied. He didn't know what a Slug Club was and he didn't really care to know. Instead, he pushed his way out of the room and headed for the stairs. As he went up them, he shook his head. Sirius couldn't help but remember the clerk from Flourish and Blotts that had practically worshipped his cousins.

“Slughorn treated you like royalty, eh, Sirius?” Peter said with a smile.

“Shut up, Peter,” Sirius snapped. Then he shook his head again and met Peter’s eyes. “No, I'm sorry, Pete, it's just that—”

“Well, if it isn't little Sirius.”

Sirius looked away from Peter and found that Lucius Malfoy was standing in front of him. His blonde, almost white hair, fell past his shoulders, and he wore a sneer. His arm was wrapped around Narcissa, who was smirking to herself.

“Slumming it with Mudbloods, are we?” Lucius questioned coldly. “Ooh, Mummy and Daddy wouldn't like that.”

“Shut up, Malfoy,” Sirius retorted, trying hard to look like the words rolled off him.

“I'm sure they'll love to hear of your attitude.”

Narcissa laughed. “What did they say about you getting into Gryffindor? Or, didn't they respond?”

Sirius could hear his heart pounding in his ears. Thoughts of being thrown against the wall invaded his mind, and he had to stop himself from taking a step back.

“Sirius doesn't care about what you arseholes have to say!” James shouted suddenly.

Narcissa gaped at the small boy that had spoken out against her.

“I think I know you,” Lucius said airily. “You're the son of that blood-traitor, Potter.”

“Say that again!” James roared, rushing forward. “Insult my dad one more time!”

“James, no!” Sirius said, grabbing the back of his friend’s robe. “Just leave it.”

“All due respect, mate, I'm not going to _leave it_.”

“Yes, you are,” Sirius replied. He imagined his mother smacking James to the ground and paled. “Please, James, for me.”

After a few more seconds of struggling, James stepped back. He looked from Sirius to Malfoy, glaring.

“Oh, Aunt and Uncle will hear about this, Sirius, and then you'll regret it!” Narcissa said angrily. “Come on, Lucius, let's get away from these _freaks._ ”

The couple stalked down the halls to the Slytherin common room. Sirius sighed and blanched. It was bad enough that he was in Gryffindor, but that he'd made friends with James, Remus, and Peter would bring even more trouble. He felt like he might fall over.

 _It's just a punishment,_ Sirius reminded himself. _And you shouldn't have been so rude to your cousins. You deserve it, and you know it._ Sirius thought about Gryffindor and all the fun he'd had so far. _But do I?_

“Sirius, are you alright?” James asked, placing a light hand on his friend’s shoulder.

Sirius put on a smile. “Yeah, why wouldn't I be?”

“Are they your family?” Peter asked.

Sirius nodded.

“Merlin, they're awful,” James said, running a hand through his hair.

“Hey, family is family!” Sirius said. “I _do_ love them.”

“Then you're a better man than I,” James replied, patting Sirius’s back. “Now, seeing as it’s the weekend, I say we go up to the dorm and relax!”

“Agreed,” Peter said.

The Marauders headed for the stairs, some more excited for the short respite than others.

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
